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Petty Enterprises and Yanks Team Up on Racecar-By DAVE CALDWELL

ichard Petty is a legendary former stock-car driver from Level Cross, N.C. He laughs when he says there was a day he never would have dreamed of forming a business partnership with any Yankee, let alone the New York Yankees.

"I'm just a good old Southern boy," Petty, 63, said last weekend at the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis. "But when you're talking about the Yankees, those are people you want to associate with."

Petty, now a car owner, has done just that. On Sunday, at the Sirius at the Glen, a Nascar Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., one of Petty's drivers, Christian Fittipaldi, plans to drive a white Dodge with blue pinstripes and the Yankees' logo.

The Yankees, who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this season, are sponsoring the car for the race at Watkins Glen International Speedway only. The car will be on display today outside Yankee Stadium, and Petty will throw out the first pitch before the Yankees' home game against Seattle on Friday.

"I'm very honored to drive this car, no doubt about it," Fittipaldi said yesterday during a break in testing.

The car's number, 44, may seem as if it is in homage to Reggie Jackson, but Petty Enterprises has licenses on Nos. 43, 44 and 45. Richard Petty's No. 43 might be the most famous number in auto racing.

The deal came about because of a 10-year friendship between Petty and Leo Hindery Jr., the chairman of the YES Network. Hindery attended Petty's driving school in 1993 and took up racing as a serious pastime.

Hindery, 55, who still races a Porsche (No. 43) in the American Le Mans sports-car series, said in a telephone interview that he got in touch with Petty in the spring with the general idea of sponsoring the car for the Watkins Glen race.

"I was just a conduit," Hindery said.

Petty Enterprises is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and Dodge, the manufacturer of Petty's cars, has a billboard at Yankee Stadium and is a Stadium sponsor. Hindery called it "just a sort of confluence of events."

Hindery said: "It just seemed like it would be a fun promotion. There are a real paucity of tracks in this part of the country, and it seemed like a good time to use the race because of its proximity to the Northeast."

Petty thought a car with the Yankees' logo would appeal to fans in the New York area who might not be otherwise interested in auto racing.

Baseball fans are not all that different from racing fans, Petty said. A baseball fan might become a racing fan.

"It's something different for them, and it's something different for us," Petty said. "Anytime we can get Winston Cup racing in front of people who don't know much about it, we'll go for it. That's what makes us expand."

Then there is the souvenir market. Petty and Hindery said that there has been enormous interest from fans in buying metal die-cast model cars with the Yankees' paint scheme.

"This could be one of the fastest-selling die-cast model cars ever," Hindery said.

But there is one if, and it is a big one.

Fittipaldi, 32, a Brazilian who is the nephew of the former Indianapolis 500 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, failed to make the field for the Brickyard 400. He cannot get one of seven provisional starting positions, because his team has used up its allotment.

That means Fittipaldi must post one of the 36 fastest times in qualifying on Friday.

He tested recently at Watkins Glen, and he said he was encouraged by the results. Now he is representing a team that has won 26 world championships.

"We're in a hard situation," Fittipaldi said. "It's not making my life or my team's life any easier."
________________________________________

So this car has no provisionals? I thought with a new # it might have one to use. If that's the case unfortunately I doubt this car will make the race. The Petty cars have had nothing in the engine department lately. If Fittipaldi can actually make the race, sad to say, I doubt the results will be very good. It's a cool looking car but I think the Yankees are thowing money away on this particular sponsorship though I imagine they might recoup the money with their share of the profits from the sales of the die-cast car.

JP & I already pre-ordered it too, but we're the worst like that...we saw it on TV one day and it was like, "how fast can we pull out that charge card"? Hey, if they're out of provisionals, maybe they'll just do like Larry Foyt and change numbers again!

Re: Petty Enterprises and Yanks Team Up on Racecar-By DAVE CALDWELL

Petty Enterprises and Yanks Team Up on Racecar
By DAVE CALDWELLhttp://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/05/sp...instripes.html
The deal came about because of a 10-year friendship between Petty and Leo Hindery Jr., the chairman of the YES Network. Hindery attended Petty's driving school in 1993 and took up racing as a serious pastime.

Hindery, 55, who still races a Porsche (No. 43) in the American Le Mans sports-car series, said in a telephone interview that he got in touch with Petty in the spring with the general idea of sponsoring the car for the Watkins Glen race.

I love the Yankees and I love NASCAR! I really hope Christian qualifies for the race. How cool would it be to watch a pinstriped Yankees car in a Winston Cup race? Very cool. I'm devoted to Tony Stewart, but I think I would have to root for Christian Sunday!

Originally posted by bonzo36 I love the Yankees and I love NASCAR! I really hope Christian qualifies for the race. How cool would it be to watch a pinstriped Yankees car in a Winston Cup race? Very cool. I'm devoted to Tony Stewart, but I think I would have to root for Christian Sunday!

I think it would send shivers up my spine seeing a Yankee car blasting around at 100 plus MPH

I really wish they ran this car at Pocono's last Sunday rather the Racing for Jesus :rolleyes:

I'm a Waltrip, Dale Jr. fan, but like yourself, I'll be also cheering Christian

Re: Re: Petty Enterprises and Yanks Team Up on Racecar-By DAVE CALDWELL

Thanks Carissa! Like Most of You who watch Nascar having other favorites I have mine too..... Mark Martin of Roush Racing Team Fame!
But this year Im especially going for the Car that Mark Owns especially since its #1 in Standings that Matt Kenseth!

But This Week I will especially be Cheering with the rest of you for #44 at Watkins Glenn!

Gee I hope because its New York & the 100th Anniversary of the Yankees they give it a special provisional (wouldnt that be nice)!

Or Richard with all your Recognition & now interview on Centerstage please PLEASE JUICE THIS CAR UP SO THAT IT RANKS WITH IN THE FIRST 30 at least of Racecars at Watkins!

I will be watching along with hubby....... I ve got the qualifying on right now on the Speed Channel 607 Directv set to start in a couple of hours!

YANKEES RACE TEAM IS GONNA BE RACING THEY JUST MADE THE QUALIFYING ! They were almost set to go home because there were faster cars qualifying in front of them & believe it or not slower cars not qualifiying behind them......(including Foyt ahhh :rolleyes: )

YANKEES RACE TEAM IS GONNA BE RACING THEY JUST MADE THE QUALIFYING ! They were almost set to go home because there were faster cars qualifying in front of them & believe it or not slower cars not qualifiying behind them......(including Foyt ahhh :rolleyes: )

If you didn't see it, the Yankees had the car go around the warning track before the game tonight, I knew I should have taken my camera

"didn't see it" !??? Ive got the qualifying on tape ! I think I scared my hubby when I came home & replayed the tape ! I let out a whoop & a holler! It was so beautiful to see on tv!!!!!!! (had to catch it on the second time it showed !} Youd had to see it right when the hour started & I missed the first five minutes of it the first time so I taped the replay!

Man was it beautiful to see that car go around the track! Just wish Chris would have pushed it faster but maybe he will tomorrow!

Yeah I saw the wreck came here to talk about it & hubby had turned the puter off AFTER HE Used it! So I waited no longer till now to come on! Gonna have to turn off puter cause lack of central air working in the house right now & its HOT today!

But for now I wanted to say yeah I saw it! He did run a great race up till then I tried to catch what lap it was that he wrecked but hubby was watching that too.......... well......... Yankees did their celebrated advertising they did well were probably a hit with the Yankee Nascar fans who showed! I hope they can enter another race this year just that Chris will have to go FASTER to qualify & hopefully wont be racing first to qualify so he can see how FAST the other cars run!

One more thing........... I dont think Park was a Yankee fan cause he didnt care about tapping the back of the Yankee car & all Park did was spin!

Wonder if theyll run the car again with the Yankee colors on it that will be another custom paint job to be done!

Originally posted by JDPNYY So .... the car got .......wrecked??? True???

Was a Yankee relief pitcher driving it?

Dont we racefans wish it were a Yankee relief pitcher then it would have had a good reason for being banged up right!

No Christian Pitapauli (bad spelling) was driving it & he did a fair job I think he got it up 32nd in the race I think?! Must watch the tape again!
Anyways another car (driver of car was named Park's) was on the rear side of the Yankees Car & tapped the left rear of the car which put both cars into a spin & Christian & the Yankees car landed into the breakaway wall which smashed up the rear of the Yankees car ! (The rest of the car still looked in good shape!) The other car was able to come out of the spin & keep racing .
At the end of the race when they do the lineup of finishes they said Pitapauli was in 34th -10 which I think means he must have had the car fixed the best and kept running but was 10 laps behind..............

Just thought youd like to know more .......

Maybe they will enter it next week in Michigan maybe maybe not...........